Slavia Prague Goalkeeper Markoviฤ Stuns Atalanta in European Debut
BERGAMO, Italyโ – A stunning performance from Slaviaโค Prague goalkeeper Matฤj Markoviฤโฃ secured a valuable โคpoint for the Czech side in a 0-0 draw against Italian Serie A leaders Atalanta on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The 22-year-old, making his debut in the UEFA Europa Conference League, thwarted โnumerous โAtalanta attacks, exceeding statistical expectationsโฃ and earning praise fromโฃ teammates and coaches alike.
Markoviฤ’s emergence as a key player comes at a crucialโข time for โSlavia, with โฃfellow goalkeeper stanฤk recently returning from injury โขand โฃstill regaining full fitness. While โStanฤk traveledโข with โthe team to Italy,โฃ he remained on the bench, leaving the spotlightโข toโค Markoviฤ, who delivered a performance that could reshape the goalkeeping โhierarchy within the club. The draw leaves Slavia positioned to advance from their Conference League group, with upcoming matches โขholding notable weight.
Despite the positive result,โ markoviฤ admitted โขto initial nerves and โa challengingโ moment late in the match. “Iโ wasn’t in a fully ideal position,โข I wanted to crawl a โฃbit, he โsurprised me and I had to catchโค it. That was the hardest moment,” he โsaid after the game. He ultimately recorded five saves, preventing Atalanta from capitalizing on an expected goals (xG) value of 2.04 – statistically suggesting they should have scored twice.
Slavia coach Trpiลกovskรฝ had previously indicatedโ hisโค intention to reintegrate Stanฤk into the starting โlineup for their upcoming league matchโ against Olomouc on Sunday. However, Markoviฤ deflected questions about โpossibly vying for a more permanentโ role. “That’s not a question for me,” he smiled. โ”I’m doing my job and I’m glad it worked out this time.” โค
Markoviฤ’s unexpected heroics have not only secured a valuable point for slavia but also introduced a newโ name โขto the โEuropean stage, potentially altering the team’s โขgoalkeeping dynamic for the foreseeable future. “We areโ happy to have a โคpoint. Everyone counts, with โatalantaโ he is very valuable. We didn’t come here for him,more for the victory,but we knew the strength of bergamo. So we will โdefinitelyโฃ take him,” Markoviฤ assessed.